vijay sethupathi Achieves 50 films milestone with Tamil thriller KingThe film released recently. The actor, who has become a pan-India star with films like Jawaan, Merry Christmas and Super Deluxe, opens up about his journey so far, his current state of mind, his kids and how he maintains a work-life balance despite being one of the busiest actors in the country. Excerpts:
‘If I was called a hero in the beginning, I would have gone mad’
All I wanted was to at least become a serial actor. I am not undermining working in serials by saying this. My thinking at that time was that since so many serials are being made, it will be easy for me to get a break in TV. One day someone told me that I am a hero and I lost sleep that night. With time, I got used to that word. And I realised that things had started moving in this direction only when I slowly started believing that I could become a hero; if someone had called me a hero in the beginning itself, I would have gone mad.
‘I was ashamed to call myself an actor’
I was ashamed to say that I was an actor. Nowadays, people are more accepting of acting aspirations, but that wasn’t the case back then. Also, I didn’t know if I had the qualities to call myself an actor.
On his ‘Yes, I did it!’ moment
When I came on screen in Soodhu Kavvum the audience started clapping and I realised they had accepted me. When I saw myself on screen after Thenmerku Paruvakkaatru (his first film as a hero), I was happy that I had become a hero.
How did he get attracted towards acting?
Around 2008-09, I started watching aspiring directors watch and talk about films passionately, and I realised there was something special about cinema. A series on international films in a Tamil magazine taught me how to watch cinema.
I started with Life is Beautiful and started watching more films. I was confident that one day I would understand the art of acting. So, I did everything that could lead me on that path… from watching films to discussing films with people who know cinema.
“I believed that what I was looking for was all around me”
When I was working in Dubai, I was earning 1,000 dirhams. When I moved to another company, I got 2,000 dirhams. When I thanked my employer, he said that God fulfills all my needs, and he is one of those who are made to fulfill it. At that time, I was a staunch believer and trusted him completely. I still believe in it (he is an atheist now). What we need is right in front of us; before, I didn’t know it, but now, I know it exists and I am looking for it. It is like the Aladdin video game – the treasure will be hidden in selected places and if the character goes to a particular place, he gets coins or points. Similarly, I believed that what I was looking for was all around me. If you have a goal, the lessons you learn during its pursuit will tell you if you are close to your destination.
‘I have not paid any price for this success; I have only earned happiness’
I have only earned happiness. Maybe I have managed to peek behind the masks of people around me, but I don’t really blame anyone because the fault could have been with me as well. I believe this is the maturity I have developed; I am responsible for whatever good and bad has happened to me.
‘I don’t want to present only a good image of myself to my children’
My children have grown up, so I think I have now reached a stage where I am starting to be free of my responsibilities as a parent. According to me, for the first 5-6 years you should give them motherly love, then for five years from the age of 17 or 18, you should give them guidance, discipline, scolding and some love as a father.
I want to explain the world, life, myself, my actions, both good and bad, to my children. I try to discuss everything with them. I don’t want to create only a good image of myself in front of my children. So, I try to talk to them as openly as possible. If they understand aspects of life, that’s enough. I always tell them not to take my words as the ultimate truth just because I am their father. They can make their own life decisions, and I don’t have to do it for them.
How he maintains work-life balance
I spend as much time as possible with my family. I tell stories to my children. Even a few weeks ago I told my daughter,
who is 16 years old, a story with some random words I asked him for, like an elephant, a fox, a cabbage and carrot field, a bee! I also drop him to school whenever possible. I did my son’s first shave and celebrated his achievement with a ceremony, just like people celebrate when girls attain puberty. I don’t post all these on Instagram, but shoot these memories on my phone, and look at them when I go out for a shoot.
‘I was made young for the experience of working with Shah Rukh’
I didn’t expect anything special for my career by working in Jawaan. I wanted to work with a star like Shah Rukh sir and a director like Atlee. All the films Atlee has directed so far have been hits, so I wanted to know how he takes this success forward.
And, by working with a star like Shah Rukh sir, I am known beyond those who may have heard of me. He is someone I have looked up to in awe. So, if I have some shyness or inferiority complex, working with people I have idolised – whether it is Rajini sir or Kamal sir or Shah Rukh sir or Vijay sir or the female actresses – helps me shed my shyness and build confidence. Standing shoulder to shoulder with them and looking them in the eye and performing helps an introvert like me come out of my cocoon.
‘If I was called a hero in the beginning, I would have gone mad’
All I wanted was to at least become a serial actor. I am not undermining working in serials by saying this. My thinking at that time was that since so many serials are being made, it will be easy for me to get a break in TV. One day someone told me that I am a hero and I lost sleep that night. With time, I got used to that word. And I realised that things had started moving in this direction only when I slowly started believing that I could become a hero; if someone had called me a hero in the beginning itself, I would have gone mad.
‘I was ashamed to call myself an actor’
I was ashamed to say that I was an actor. Nowadays, people are more accepting of acting aspirations, but that wasn’t the case back then. Also, I didn’t know if I had the qualities to call myself an actor.
On his ‘Yes, I did it!’ moment
When I came on screen in Soodhu Kavvum the audience started clapping and I realised they had accepted me. When I saw myself on screen after Thenmerku Paruvakkaatru (his first film as a hero), I was happy that I had become a hero.
How did he get attracted towards acting?
Around 2008-09, I started watching aspiring directors watch and talk about films passionately, and I realised there was something special about cinema. A series on international films in a Tamil magazine taught me how to watch cinema.
I started with Life is Beautiful and started watching more films. I was confident that one day I would understand the art of acting. So, I did everything that could lead me on that path… from watching films to discussing films with people who know cinema.
“I believed that what I was looking for was all around me”
When I was working in Dubai, I was earning 1,000 dirhams. When I moved to another company, I got 2,000 dirhams. When I thanked my employer, he said that God fulfills all my needs, and he is one of those who are made to fulfill it. At that time, I was a staunch believer and trusted him completely. I still believe in it (he is an atheist now). What we need is right in front of us; before, I didn’t know it, but now, I know it exists and I am looking for it. It is like the Aladdin video game – the treasure will be hidden in selected places and if the character goes to a particular place, he gets coins or points. Similarly, I believed that what I was looking for was all around me. If you have a goal, the lessons you learn during its pursuit will tell you if you are close to your destination.
‘I have not paid any price for this success; I have only earned happiness’
I have only earned happiness. Maybe I have managed to peek behind the masks of people around me, but I don’t really blame anyone because the fault could have been with me as well. I believe this is the maturity I have developed; I am responsible for whatever good and bad has happened to me.
‘I don’t want to present only a good image of myself to my children’
My children have grown up, so I think I have now reached a stage where I am starting to be free of my responsibilities as a parent. According to me, for the first 5-6 years you should give them motherly love, then for five years from the age of 17 or 18, you should give them guidance, discipline, scolding and some love as a father.
I want to explain the world, life, myself, my actions, both good and bad, to my children. I try to discuss everything with them. I don’t want to create only a good image of myself in front of my children. So, I try to talk to them as openly as possible. If they understand aspects of life, that’s enough. I always tell them not to take my words as the ultimate truth just because I am their father. They can make their own life decisions, and I don’t have to do it for them.
How he maintains work-life balance
I spend as much time as possible with my family. I tell stories to my children. Even a few weeks ago I told my daughter,
who is 16 years old, a story with some random words I asked him for, like an elephant, a fox, a cabbage and carrot field, a bee! I also drop him to school whenever possible. I did my son’s first shave and celebrated his achievement with a ceremony, just like people celebrate when girls attain puberty. I don’t post all these on Instagram, but shoot these memories on my phone, and look at them when I go out for a shoot.
‘I was made young for the experience of working with Shah Rukh’
I didn’t expect anything special for my career by working in Jawaan. I wanted to work with a star like Shah Rukh sir and a director like Atlee. All the films Atlee has directed so far have been hits, so I wanted to know how he takes this success forward.
And, by working with a star like Shah Rukh sir, I am known beyond those who may have heard of me. He is someone I have looked up to in awe. So, if I have some shyness or inferiority complex, working with people I have idolised – whether it is Rajini sir or Kamal sir or Shah Rukh sir or Vijay sir or the female actresses – helps me shed my shyness and build confidence. Standing shoulder to shoulder with them and looking them in the eye and performing helps an introvert like me come out of my cocoon.
